


Important Nothings

by Courtney621



Category: AUSTEN Jane - Works, Emma - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen, Persuasion - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27738673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Courtney621/pseuds/Courtney621
Summary: A series of drabbles featuring Jane Austen characters, great and small.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 52





	1. Catherine Morland

Catherine Morland had always been a voracious reader, and Catherine _Tilney_ had continued on in the same way.

Upon the arrivals of first Harry and then Kitty Tilney, the pace of her reading slowed; a regrettable development, perhaps, but not an unexpected one, and she soon found that motherhood brought new and agreeable activities. 

“Once upon a time,” she said, looking at their rapt little faces, “there lived a prince and princess who were stolen away by an evil witch.”

Henry smiled at the scene from the doorway. Catherine grinned back.

Storytelling, she thought, was quite as enjoyable as story-reading.


	2. Mrs. Jennings

Mr. and Mrs. Jennings had been a happy couple, similar in temperament and humor, and their eldest daughter’s prim personality had been a constant source of amusement. 

“She is very different from us, my dear,” said Mr. Jennings to his wife one day. 

“I think she was given to us by the fairies, Mr. Jennings,” she’d answered.

It was that shared laughter she missed the most in widowhood, she thought sadly, watching Elinor Dashwood marry Edward Ferrars. Above all else, she wished the young couple years of good cheer, the greatest gift that she’d been given in her own marriage.


	3. Edmund Bertram

Edmund Bertram was a kind, honorable, well-meaning man, but a pretty woman was his greatest weakness, and he became a credulous fool whenever presented with one. He had always been prone to the unfortunate belief that beauty of face went hand in hand with strength of character. Countless men have made this mistake and regretted it for the rest of their lives, but Edmund was fortunate enough to learn his lesson before it was too late.

His greatest blessing of all came later, when he was rewarded beyond his deserts with a wife who combined loveliness and virtue in one.


	4. Mrs. Bates

Mrs. Bates had lived to see her world shrink to just a small apartment, the company of a devoted daughter, and the occasional visits of a beloved granddaughter.

Though she now found herself increasingly confused at times, the natural consequence of her advancing years, she was neither as helpless nor as blind as her neighbors seemed to think, and she was able to observe folly in those around her. She saw the young people giving their hearts away, for good and for bad, and though she never commented, she did worry.

She hoped they all knew what they were about.


	5. Charles Musgrove

Charles Musgrove hadn’t been particularly heartbroken when Anne Elliot refused his proposal. He liked her, certainly, but he did not love her. The Elliots were a good family to be connected to, and he’d hoped her answer would be different, but he accepted his situation with grace and remained on excellent terms with the whole family.

It wasn’t long before he realized that he needn’t give up on the Elliots entirely. Elizabeth probably would not have him if he asked, but Mary was a good sort of girl and certainly seemed to like him. Yes, Mary would do very well.


	6. Charles Bingley

Charles Bingley was panicking.

“What do I say?”

Darcy, looking pained, answered, “I am sure you will think of something.”

“Darcy, I need your advice!”

“You called her an angel once. Perhaps you can start there.”

Charles glared. Darcy looked unabashed.

“You are sure she loves me?” Charles asked desperately.

“Yes, Bingley.”

“If you are wrong, you had better stay in town.”

Darcy only smirked.

Charles looked seriously at his friend. “Then I have your blessing?”

“I wish you and Miss Bennet every happiness.”

Charles grinned at him. Darcy smiled back, exasperated but fond.

Charles had a proposal to rehearse.


	7. James Morland

James Morland had grown up in a simple, plainspoken family, and was quite unprepared for his introduction to Isabella Thorpe.

He would have been unready to encounter her in any case, only used to the company of women in the forms of his mother and sisters, but he'd been especially dazzled by her beauty and her charm and was immediately taken in.

What's more, she was the sister of his dear friend, John, and the Thorpe family had been so welcoming to him. How could he help his feelings? Surely, all of the stars were aligning for a perfect match.


	8. Charlotte Palmer

Charlotte Palmer knew perfectly well that her husband was quite rude to people in general and that she was no exception to this rule, but she did not find that she minded much. She had entirely imbibed her mother's good humor and was prone to find his temper amusing rather than distressing.

She had not married for love. She had married because that was what one _did_. She certainly was not going to be made unhappy by her husband. 

In fact, she rather liked him. There was nothing more droll than a man too pretentious to find joy in life.


	9. Dr. Grant

Dr. Grant had not known Mrs. Elizabeth Norris for longer than an hour before he knew that she was one of the most infuriatingly meddlesome women he had ever had the misfortune to meet. He had found his acquaintances in general to be a tedious lot, so this was, indeed, an accomplishment.

"You must call upon the Lord for His guidance with the more troublesome among us, my dear," his wife chastised gently.

She was right, of course, but that did not stop him from bickering with Mrs. Norris whenever they met. One must have one's own amusements, after all.


	10. Frank Churchill

Frank Churchill knew that he had a delicate role to play that night at the Crown Inn. He must be charming to the room at large. He must be a credit to his father and the new Mrs. Weston. He must flirt gently with Emma Woodhouse, just enough for people to notice, and show the proper deference to that odious Mrs. Elton.

And above all else, he must not pay too much attention to Jane Fairfax.

The trouble was, it had been many months since he’d thought of much else _besides_ Miss Fairfax. How on earth would he manage it?


	11. Henrietta Musgrove

Henrietta Musgrove knew she had a choice to make. Captain Wentworth was a charming man, and an interesting addition to their neighborhood, but was he worth throwing away the tender feelings she’d long cherished for Charles Hayter?

Louisa was encouraging her towards Charles for reasons not entirely altruistic. Louisa wanted Wentworth for herself, and a sister’s happiness was yet another thing to consider. 

But what would make _her_ happy? This new, amiable presence in her life, or the familiar, steady one? In her heart, she knew the answer. For Henrietta, no one could compare to Charles, not even Captain Wentworth.


	12. Mrs. Reynolds

Mrs. Reynolds had always felt protective of the Darcy family, and particularly of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, her special favorite.

She noticed, then, when a young lady blushed and called him handsome, and lingered for quite a time at his portrait. 

She noticed, too, that her master made such an effort to accommodate this guest, and paid her close attention during her visit. He very clearly loved Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and he never bestowed his regard on the unworthy. That was enough to gain Mrs. Reynolds's approval.

It would be rather wonderful, she thought, for Pemberley to have a new mistress.


	13. Mr. and Mrs. Allen

Mr. Allen knew that his wife was occasionally irksome and often stupid, but he found most women irksome and stupid, and, after all, it was better to have a wife than not.

Mrs. Allen was never much interested in men, but she knew that marriage was a duty and a necessity. She asked only that her husband provide for her and keep her in fashion. That was more than enough to make a good match.

Theirs was a marriage of convenience, and luckier than most unions of that kind. They had each gotten what they wanted. Nothing more was required.


	14. Nancy Steele

Nancy Steele found herself feeling rather unmoored after her sister's surprise marriage to Robert Ferrars. She and Lucy had been a team of two: sometimes at odds and sometimes attached, but always together.

But Lucy, it seemed, had outgrown her sister, busy with her husband and with schemes of ingratiating herself with her mother-in-law. Her letters were few and far between, and not very informative.

Nancy felt the loss. Lucy, though the younger sister, had always been the leader. Nancy would now have to learn how to stand on her own. 

She wondered if she was up to the task.


	15. Henry Crawford

Henry Crawford, looking back in middle age, was rather shocked by the reformation of his character. He had, to be sure, married his wife for her money, but he'd also come to genuinely adore her. He'd changed for her in all the ways he had meant to change for Fanny Price, becoming devoted and faithful. He certainly never again looked at a woman so unworthy as Maria Rushworth, nor had he been tempted to.

He felt a pang, now and then, for Fanny, and for all he had thrown away, but could not regret that it brought him Harriet instead.


	16. Isabella Knightley

Isabella Knightley had been a painfully shy child. Emma was the lively one, and Isabella had felt content to sit in her shadow, sheltered from attention.

She had known John Knightley her whole life, the Knightley family being so intimate with the Woodhouses. John had always been kind to her, coaxing her out of her shell and forever making her smile.

She had been half in love with him growing up; their bond had been forged early and was unbreakable. Their marriage was inevitable, and the only event that could ever have taken her away from the safety of Hartfield.


	17. Louisa Musgrove

Louisa Musgrove was indifferent to poetry, no matter how Anne Elliot tried to influence her. She saw no point in it and couldn't be persuaded in its favor.

In the hazy aftermath of her injury, however, she was soothed by the familiar lines being read to her. She had expected Captain Wentworth, but the voice was softer, gentler. It was Captain Benwick keeping her company, sharing his favorite words, comforting her in her pain and confusion. 

Perhaps it was the slow pace of convalescence, or perhaps it was the reader, but Louisa could now see what was worthy in verse.


	18. Mrs. Hill

Mrs. Hill had known Mrs. Bennet since the latter was a child. A maid in the Gardiner household, she had followed Mrs. Bennet to Longbourn upon her marriage. Hill found the woman exasperating, but she was, after all, the devil she knew, and there were less agreeable situations than the Bennets'.

She was not, however, attached to the family the way she knew some servants were. Mrs. Bennet was ridiculous, Mr. Bennet neglectful, and the three younger girls incurably silly. But Miss Jane and Miss Elizabeth were good girls, and Hill hoped they would do well when they left Longbourn.


	19. Mr. and Mrs. Morland

Mr. and Mrs. Morland had been taken aback by Henry Tilney’s application for Catherine’s hand, but were soon determined to love him.

“They have done things differently than we did,” said Mr. Morland to his wife that evening.

 _They_ had grown up in the same village; had always known one another; had seemed destined to marry.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Morland. “But how lovely for Catherine, going on an adventure and meeting a hero. Just like something out of her books!”

It was the perfect ending for their fanciful daughter, but, truth be told, they preferred their way of doing things.


	20. Mrs. Ferrars

Mrs. Ferrars had found, what other women had found before, that grown children were enormously ungrateful and did not realize that their mothers always knew best.

She hadn't been surprised by Edward's perfidy. He’d always been a disappointment. But Robert’s marrying Lucy Steele was incomprehensible. After all that she’d done for him, to betray her in this way!

She would show him. He took such pleasure in marrying without her consent;  _ she _ would find it just as enjoyable to befriend his wife. After a proper period of punishment, she would accept Lucy as her dearest child.

Robert would be furious.


	21. Mrs. Norris

Mrs. Elizabeth Norris had never been particularly fond of babies, but she'd always expected them to be in her future and was rather shocked when they never arrived. 

Her own mother had often told her that motherhood was a woman's duty, and her younger sisters had both done theirs (Fanny, enthusiastically so).

Mr. Norris spent the early years of their marriage lamenting their lack of children, and the later years making snide comments about his wife's failings. 

She became increasingly bitter towards Mrs. Price. Why should her younger sister have such an abundance when Mrs. Norris had nothing at all?


	22. Augusta Elton

Augusta Elton, upon her arrival in Highbury, took careful stock of her surroundings. 

Her _caro sposo_ was easily the handsomest man, and so admired! She saw no one to compare with him among the other husbands and bachelors.

The parsonage might not be the grandest abode, but not one of the other houses she'd visited had been decorated with her refined taste.

As for personal beauty, Emma Woodhouse and Jane Fairfax were pretty enough, but they had none of her style and elegance.

Augusta was pleased. In a village as dull as Highbury, it was important to shine the brightest.


	23. Frederick Wentworth

Frederick Wentworth’s first reaction upon seeing Anne Elliot after eight years was anger: anger that she looked so haggard and careworn; anger that she had certainly been mistreated by her family, who had never loved or cared for her properly.

He then remembered that his true anger was with Anne herself; that he cared not a whit for her welfare; that she’d forfeited his concern the moment she’d broken their engagement. Why should he care about her health and happiness? She was nothing to him now.

He was vigilant in reminding himself of this for the rest of the day.


	24. Maria Lucas

Maria Lucas’s visit to Hunsford had been eye-opening in many ways. She had seen her eldest sister as a wife and the mistress of her own household. She had gotten to know her new brother-in-law, whom she had not spent much time with on any of his visits to Hertfordshire. And, of course, she was able to see firsthand the famed patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Charlotte seemed content in her situation, and Maria was pleased for her, but all things considered, were she to be presented with a Mr. Collins, she would prefer to remain an old maid.


End file.
